What the tournament needs...

I think what the tournament needs is for Australia to beat the Windies and NZ to beat Pakistan. That way the West Indies - Ireland and Pakistan - Bangladesh games will be knock outs (rather than dead rubbers) and there might be some interest in pool play.

Yesterday's games were lit up by McCullum's and Wright's wonderful knocks, but as contests they were both non-events. The Whigs actually had to rally to only lose by 116 runs, which is still more than England successfully defended against Pakistan in the warm-up.

Another problem with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan both playing the first two games in their groups is that SL/SA & India/England are both of curiousity value only now, especially with the seedings for the Super 8s decided regardless of finishing positions.

Agree with the OP, Australian and New Zealand wins would create some more interest.

"The PFA does not represent players when they have broken the law and been convicted on non-football matters."- Gordon Taylor in 2009 following Marlon King's release after a prison sentence for sexual assault & ABH

And smalishah's avatar is the most classy one by far Jan certainly echoes the sentiments of CW

Yeah we don't crap in the first world; most of us would actually have no idea what that was emanating from Ajmal's backside. Why isn't it roses and rainbows like what happens here? PEWS's retort to Ganeshran on Daemon's picture depicting Ajmal's excreta

I do like having 2-4 out of Bangladesh, Ireland, Zimbabwe plus 1 in world tournaments. They just haven't been particularly good so far this WC, so the group stage becomes like a pre-tournament just to get rid of them.

It's both a convenience and a curse that there happen to be eight teams who play cricket to a substantially higher standard than the rest. It means that the last eight/quarter-final stage in any multi-team tournament is virtually pre-confirmed. I do wish that one or two of the so-called minnows could raise their game and somehow start to compete with the big eight on level terms, but who was the last team to break through the glass ceiling - Sri Lanka? They've been serious contenders since that '96 World Cup win.

What the tournament really needs, of course, apart from a close match or two, is for it to stop raining.

Minnows can't win in a way tho. When they're poo the first round's a forgone conclusion; when they actually beat their betters (a la Ireland & Bangladesh in 2007) they're blamed for breaking the tournament.